Credit: Dangerous Minds / Alamy

There are many cringe-inducing moments in television history. The very nature of TV means that people are putting themselves under the spotlight, vulnerable in the gaze of millions of viewers at home. Knowing this fact can make embarrassing moments all the harder to watch for those people curled up behind the sofa cushions. But one of those moments came from two of pop culture’s greatest voices: James Brown and Alfred Hitchcock.

If you’re thinking that it is an odd combination of people, then you’re right. The icon of funk and one of the undying patrons of Black excellence sat opposite, perhaps, the whitest man of all time, there could only be one reason for the duo to be sat across from each other: a chat show.

One of the scourges of modern media, the chat show has become a stalwart of television for decades. It employs meniable figures to spout nonsense at stars in the hope that they may give them a soundbite form in which they can build a career. David Letterman, Michael Parkinson and Dick Cavett can all be consider legends of the industry, but their contributions on their shows is, by and large, vapid at the best of times. Mike Douglas was another early adopter of the premise, and The Mike Douglas Show was one of the first.

James Brown and Alfred Hitchcock would likely share an awkward lift ride at the best of times, but during a particularly cringing episode of the 1961 series of the show, Brown would make a social faux pas that left millions of people wanting to eat their own feet. To make matters worse, Joan Rivers was the third guest on the show at the time, providing an unwanted comic relief. But one thing is for sure: all three stars were nearing the peak of their powers.

When James Brown confused Alfred Hitchcock on live TV

At the time, Hitchcock was perhaps the biggest draw for most viewers at home. The British filmmaker was coming off the back of three home run movies, which would later become some of his finest work and true classics of cinema, with Vertigo, North by Northwest, and then Psycho, the latter being the reason for his appearance on the show. Seen as seminal work, Psycho is now taught in film schools more than it is watched by audiences, making it essential viewing for filmmakers.

However, back in 1961, it was topping the bill of almost every cinema in the world. It was terrifying and delighting audiences in equal measure as it was shown, meaning that the entire world was awash with hype for Hitchcock’s creation, except for perhaps James Brown. During the interview, Brown cut in to say, “I’d like to ask you a question”, addressing Hitchcock, “In your movie, Homicidal”, he says, before going on to describe some of the plot points from the film before Douglas can correct him by interjecting, “You mean Psycho”.

Now that might seem like a fact that Brown misremembered. The issue was that Homicidal was directed by William Castle and considered a total rip-off of Hitchcock’s classic. In fact, most today would disparagingly think of it as nothing but a cheap imitation, created simply with the hope of cashing in on Psycho.

Thankfully, despite rivers losing it, Hitchcock wasn’t offended by Brown’s confusion and handled the question with dignity by saying, “I won’t dare tell you (about his techniques)… That’s a professional secret” and later goes on to say, “I’ll tell you when we are off the air”. You can blame James Brown for the slip. Personally, I blame chat shows altogether.